Monday, March 7, 2016

The centrality of self-awareness

Self-awareness – sometimes called metacognition or
self-transcendence – connotes the human ability to represent one's cognitive
processes to one's self in order to evaluate those processes. Because of
self-awareness, humans can reflect about the future, engage in introspection, converse
with the self, create a narrative about the self, and react emotionally to that
narrative.

Self-awareness may be the locus of God-human encounters,
an element of the imago dei (although some process theologians argue that
self-awareness constitutes the imago dei), or an essential component of
liberation and spiritual growth, e.g., in Theravadan Buddhism.

Self-awareness is always partial and therefore never
completely accurate. Identifying self-awareness as an aspect of the human
spirit does not specify the content, degree, or nature of self-awareness but
may only recognize the question's universal and distinctive importance for
humans. Moreover, externalities such as drugs, physical or psychological
trauma, etc., can impair self-awareness.

Spiritual disciplines that can help to develop self-awareness
are:

Physical exercise –
A person is his or her body, having no existence independent of the
physical body. A program of physical exercise aids in attuning awareness
to one's bio-rhythms, sharpening the difference between self and non-self,
clearing the mind by reducing stress and flushing negative emotions from
the body, and putting one more in touch with one's self.

Contemplation – Contemplation
denotes thinking about an image, idea, object, or relationship. Christian contemplatives,
illustratively, often focus their reflections on Jesus or some aspect of
his life, such as his death on the cross. In Orthodoxy, Christian contemplatives
often use an icon as the catalyst for their reflections; in Roman Catholic
Christianity, contemplatives frequently will use the rosary, the
consecrated host, or Stations of the Cross as the catalyst. Sadly, many
Protestant Christian traditions have abandoned contemplation as a spiritual
discipline.

Meditation – In meditation,
a person aims to move beyond words and concrete images to a more direct,
personal experience of God that occurs by emptying the mind, leaving it a
blank canvass upon which God can write, paint, or appear. Meditation has
been part of the Christian tradition since almost the beginning, but those
who have pursued the spiritual discipline of meditation have often faced
misunderstanding and condemnation. Current interest in being spiritual but
not religious seems to invite Christians to explore and to inhabit those
parts of their tradition that affirm the value of meditation, offering an
important counterbalance to interest in other religions, such as Buddhism
and Taoism, that have historically placed greater emphasis on the value of
meditation.

Spiritual direction
or psychoanalysis – Improving self-awareness – more fully and consciously recognizing
what you think is your identity, your purpose, and your values – is one of
the benefits from receiving spiritual direction or undergoing
psychoanalysis. Some individuals find continuing guidance from a spiritual
director invaluable. Other persons prefer an occasional
"checkup" that they use as an opportunity to review their spiritual
life, to discuss obstacles or new directions, to clarify experiences, and to
assess progress. As is true in developing all six facets of the spirit, each
person is unique. Each person, usually through a process of trial and
error, must identify a helpful and sustainable set of spiritual practices.
Over time, some of those practices will cease to be helpful and need
replacing. Other practices will seem dry and pointless for extended periods,
but perseverance will bring the person fresh insights and depth. A good spiritual
director can help one to discern whether to abandon a particular
discipline or to persevere with it.

The disciplines that develop self-awareness are
generally not exercises in which one can engage haphazardly. Physical exercise,
contemplation, and meditation all require an ongoing and commitment. Numerous books
outline programs for each. Selecting a particular program is a function of
personality and lifestyle. In all cases, establishing a regular pattern and
some form of accountability will help to transform an initial interest into a
habitual practice.